Sad Clown
by NotReallyAnything
Summary: Raven Roth has finally run away, and to a circus no less. But when her Father comes looking for her, can her new "family" protect her? Slight AU and OOC Romance/Drama with a side of Humor
1. Runaway

**If I Left The Zoo**

By NotReallyAnything

SUMMARY: Slight AU. RaeBB. Raven Roth has finally run away, and as cliche as it is, she's looking at an old-timey circus for help. Changeling is a central act in this one-ring shindig, and takes a liking to the spitfire (yet...cute?) mystery girl. When she can't be backstage due to a short bald man, she turns to her self-forbidden powers and becomes an overnight sensation. She didn't think she'd ever find a family in a circus...and she didn't think her blood-money Father would come looking for her...

**DISCLAIMER:** No, I don't own anything Teen Titans, Circus-y, or the title, which is actually the title of a Jars of Clay album. No, there is no real zoo in this story, it's a circus, but I still liked the title. I might actually change it to one of their songs on the album—TEN POINTS TO WHOEVER FIGURES IT OUT AND EMAILS ME IT!

**a/n:** Okay, I know, I know. What am I doing writing a new story when I have all my other ones to finish?!

The answer: I don't know what I'm thinking.

Sorry.

All I know is that this idea has been wrapped around my head for three years, and I've written two versions of it already (both of them suck, by the way), and I really wanted to see what kind of response I would get.

Keep in mind that this story is slightly AU. There is a Jump City, they do have their powers, but they will NOT seriously consider any type of hero-ship.

I'll explain more at the end of the chapter.

**Chapter 1: Runaway**

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Raven Roth scanned the area.

It was a circus, but an old one. Patches were obvious, and the tents that were being set up still retained that odd fascination, that creepy, excited feel. Raven liked the style of it; it was like a blast from the past. It was vintage.

Raven loved vintage. That's why for the past three years she'd shopped at various thrift stores in the city, no matter how much of her father's blood money she had.

The city. She was so sick of the city. She was sick of her unintelligent school, her hypocritical family, the hustle and bustle…

This was the outskirts of Jump City, where people still grew their own potatoes, or whatever.

She tugged at her jacket, molding it to her form, trying to keep the heat from her body and the cold autumn breeze separate as she briskly walked towards one of the smaller tents.

She shivered, but not from the cold. She was nervous. For the first time in her life, she was out on her own, no turning back, and she didn't know what would happen. Would they see through her act? Would they see "runaway" stamped all over her? Would they even give her a job?

Yes, they would. They _had_ to. And, come on, it was a circus! They had to have needed help_somewhere, _in_something. _She'd even feed the animals and do the make-up, or anything they needed! Even though she'd never worked before, but hey, she was a fast learner.

She reached the entrance, stopped, and took a deep breath. If anything, she was a freak enough to be an act…but she tried to push that thought aside.

Suddenly one of the flaps opened and something slammed into her.

"Oof!" Raven fell with a thud.

"Oh, sorry little lady! Are you okay?!" A voice echoed down to her. She could feel a shadow blocking the sun from her dizzied eyes.

When they focused, she felt cold metal on her back, helping her sit up.

"I'm alright…I think…" She muttered as the muscular African-American helped her stand. He was wearing some sort of metal…

"Nice costume." She raised an eyebrow. He grinned and flexed an arm.

"It's not a costume. Big accident a few years back. My stage name is 'the Incredible Cyborg!'"

"Oh…" Raven felt a blush creep up her cheeks. This wasn't a good start. "Sorry, I—I didn't…"

"It's okay; I get it all the time." He easily smiled. Half of his face was metal, including one of his eyes, which was a bright red, pulsating sensor, but even then he was obviously a warm person.

"Tell ya what, you just wait in my tent right there, and I'll be back in a minute. The techies in the main arena messed up the black lights again." He quickly turned and jogged to the main arena, which was a huge tent halfway put up. The other half was a confusing maze of wooden beams, metal poles, and people. She didn't want to go inside 'The Incredible Cyborg's' tent, no matter how nice he seemed, so she waited outside. Good thing, too, because as she was watching him climb around the naked ceiling, he caught her eye.

"Hey, little lady! Come on over here!" He yelled. She immediately set off towards him.

When he'd climbed down, he handed her a stray hard-hat and grinned again. "You're a runaway, aren't you?" at her nod he chuckled. "Well, the boss might not let you get a job unless you impress him with an extensive background in something constructive, so walk around a bit and see the sights. If you want a job, I can weasel my way into getting you some odds and ends, but not right now. You got a watch?" she nodded again, "Good. Meet me at the other large tent, it's the cafeteria, in about an hour. Remember, Cyborg's the name and Tetris is the game." With a final grin he scurried back up the ladder and started giving orders to the obviously lost techies accompanying him.

She took his advice and walked around.

It was amazing. She'd never seen such work being done! There were clusters of people doing acrobatic things, a fire-breather, a pair of ventriloquists having a four-person argument…everything!

She gave a small smile as she saw a pair of clowns juggling a few plates and a very expensive-looking vase. They didn't have any makeup on, but they were wearing their costumes.

Just then, she felt a tap on her shoulder.

"Excuse me," a whiny voice said. Startled, she turned, almost tripping in her haste.

A short, fat, bald man stood in front of her, eyes glaring. He looked her up and down, snarling.

"What are you doing in my circus? Can't you see the construction going on here?!"

"I-uh…" her mind went blank. _His_ circus? Oh, boy, she'd pissed off the boss.

His eyes grew cold as he looked her up and down. He laughed mockingly. "Oh, yes, this is rich. A runaway. How…cliché."

She glared as he walked around her, inspecting her.

"I'm not--" she started, but was stopped as a green blur flew through the air and slammed into her.

"Oh, today is not my day…" she trailed off as she tried to sit up on the grass. Her eyes had clenched shut from the impact, and now she opened them, once again, to the bright sunlight overhead.

"CHANGELING!" The bald guy roared. He got caught up in the mess, as he was on the other side of Raven, also on the ground.

The green blur was a monkey, a chimpanzee to be exact. Raven blinked, for just as she'd recognized the monkey, it had…morphed…into…

_Oh wow, he's hot._ Raven blushed at the traitorous thought entered her mind.

She was _Raven Roth._ She did_ not_ think boys were _hot._ Simple as that. Romances and relationships were completely pointless.

The muscular green teen jumped to his feet, sheepishly helping Baldy up.

"Sorry, Mr. Cald. I promise it won't happen again." God, even his _voice_ was sexy! It was deep, and slightly gravely…'_NO. Bad Raven. Do NOT think like that._'

"It better not. Now, I have a job for you. This…_runaway_…" he said with disgust, "has proven herself to be useless. Get her off the premises immediately." The boy glanced at Raven, who had gotten up and was brushing herself off, then quickly looked again, this time eyes widening. About then Raven looked up and glared at Mr. Cald, then her face transformed as she chuckled lightly.

"Bald Mr. Cald…" she whispered, but apparently Mr. Cald heard her.

The Bald Cald turned red, tried to say something, and, stuttering, abruptly turned and stalked off.

She was still smiling when suddenly the boy grabbed her hand and hurriedly dragged her through the practicing circus-members.

When Raven came out of shock, she snatched her hand back and stopped. The green guy swiftly turned around, and just stared at her. Raven glared, but the glare quickly died down to embarrassment, and she started to blush again. She desperately wished the ground would swallow her. In fact…if she _really_ concentrated…

But no. She didn't do that. She might be freak enough to _join_ the circus, but she'd rather just work backstage on it. And she wasn't leaving until she _got a freaking JOB._

But as she vehemently denied her inner strength and focused on her human ones, the guy was still staring at her. She looked at the ground and played with the fray of her jacket sleeve.

"DUDE!" She threw up her head at his outburst. "That was AWESOME! You totally pissed him off! I've never seen him so speechless! Marry me, please, before the others hear about you!" He was broadly grinning at her, a hand running through his spiky green hair.

"Err…" she blankly stared at him. "Only if you get me a job?" she asked uncertainly. He smiled.

"Hell yeah!"

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**a/n**: Yeah, it's really short. But hey, it's just the first chapter, and I promise I'll have more content in the next ones.

Now, I always write about Raven and Beast boy.

I probably always **will**write about Raven and Beast boy.

Raven fascinates me, to tell the truth. She is the "misunderstood" one of the group, and I have to say, Raven's season of the show was by far my favorite.

While I do hate that her name is "Raven" and her character (at least in the show) is stereotypically gothic and Poe related (because it is a stereotype and cliché and all that jazz), I still love the character herself.

She's gritty, and she has a tight control over her emotions, which is something I've never been able to contain. I admire her. Imagine living with these powers, with this identity that most people wouldn't even believe _existed._Add to that the identity of her father, and you've got a certified mess.

I'm aware that she lived with Arella and the Monks of Azarath for her childhood, and her father is Trigon.

This story is AU in that Arella has distanced herself (emotionally) from Raven, and that Trigon is actually a power-hungry company owner in the city. He doesn't pay attention to Raven, and she virtually has no one but nannies to raise her.

In the show Raven controls her powers by the lessons the Azarathian monks teach her, but since she's never even heard of Azarath, or Arella's history, she has had to rely on herself, which, as you'll later see, is a flawed system.

Beast boy's real name is Garfield Logan, which stays the same in this story. Everything of Beast boy's past is the same here, except that he's never been in the Doom Patrol, he just knew about them and lived with them. Mento was WAY too strict to let him join.

Also, the characters here are much older; we're talking late teens to early twenties.

Now, I know I'm gonna get questions like "Where are Starfire and Robin?" and "Will Cyborg have his past too?" and "How will you explain why Robin is in the circus after what happened to his parents?" and "How will you explain Starfire's powers? Her powers better stay the same. SHE BETTER HAVE HER FREAKING POWERS!" etc.

And all your questions will be answered in the appropriate time. IE, not now.

For now, that's all I will say about the plotline of the story.

Now, I will be updating when I can, which can mean a day to two weeks, but at least I'll be updating.

See, I'm in my last semester of high school, and I've got this thing called "The Terrifying Senior Project" which is forced upon all seniors. Mine just happens to be a film, and I'm working extra hard on it so I get an A and graduate.

Add to that the rest of my classes and a little bit of a social life, and you have chaos. So I probably didn't pick the best time to start writing a story, but oh well. : P

The point is, I'll update, and I might even pick up working on my other very unfinished projects while I'm at it, even if it means I don't update this one as quickly.

So, this is an insanely long author's note, and I'll be stopping the talking now. Tell me what you think!


	2. Cliche

**If I Left The Zoo**

By NotReallyAnything

Beta'd by The Great and Awesome and Magnificent and Fabulouso Flabergastous DYNOMITE

**DISCLAIMER:** No, I don't own anything Teen Titans, Circus-y, or the title, which is actually the title of a Jars of Clay album. No, there is no real zoo in this story, it's a circus, but I still liked the title. I might actually change it to one of their songs on the album—TEN POINTS TO WHOEVER FIGURES IT OUT AND EMAILS ME IT! (Contest still running, but aparantly I need to up the bar a bit. So…

TEN POINTS AND A SPARKLY CUPCAKE TO WHOEVER SENDS A SUGGESTION FOR A TITLE CHANGE THAT IS RELATED TO THE BAND JARS OF CLAY!!!)

**All a/n's have been moved to the bottom of the chapters, including review responses.**

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Raven Roth was in a barn.

Raven Roth was in a barn, right next to a tiger.

The tiger Raven Roth was next to wasn't seperated by bars.

Therefore, if you do the math, it is obvious why Raven Roth's pale hand was squeezing Changeling's green one, very, VERY hard.

Changeling looked down and grinned. "We can leave, you know."

"Sure," Raven squeaked, "that'd be great!"

The green teen smiled and detached his hand from hers. Before Raven could blink, he had transformed to a tiger himself.

Raven froze. Her eyes were steadily on both of the tigers as they circled her. She nearly screamed when the green one pushed his head up on her hand, forcing her to pet him. She relaxed quickly, though.

"Well, that's not so bad. But I have a feeling you won't bite my hand off for dinner." She said to him. The green tiger winked and growled softly to the other one.

His fellow tiger flicked her tail at Raven's stomache, and circled around her one last time before coming to a complete stop in front of her.

"Changeling. This isn't funny." Raven hissed at him, all the while waiting for the tiger to pounce. "I live in the city. I've only been to the zoo twice, and even then I was far, far away from any of the animals! This is a tiger! At least let me get used to the parrots or whatever, before you introduce me to the wild animals!"

He transformed back to a human and grinned.

"That's the first time you've said my name, you know. And after spending half an hour touring the grounds, I still don't know yours, Miss Mystery."

"Take me out of this place and I might tell you." She glared at the tiger.

Changeling sighed and took her hand again, leading her out of the barn where the animals quite litterally roamed free.

Raven really didn't like this hand-holding thing. First of all, she didn't like him enough to instantly hold hands with him, and second of all, she hated touchy-feely stuff. So she carefully unlaced her fingers from his, and calmly walked beside him as if nothing had happened.

He gave her a side-glance. "So, your name?"

She looked up at the sky. "Raven."

"Really? Nice name. Has anybody eve-"

"Ever quoted 'The Raven' to me? Said 'nevermore, nevermore!' to me? Yeah. All the time." She snarled, distancing herself and glaring at the ground.

"Actually, I figured that would annoy you. I was gonna ask if anybody had ever told you that in certain light, your hair looks purple?" He innocently grinned at her.

Raven side-glanced him this time. "Really? My mom used to say that all the time. She said I should stay out in the sun to lighten it more."

"You have parents?"

"Yeah."

"Ooh, that wasn't a pleasant tone." He fake-shuddered.

"I'm not talking about it." Another pointed look to the sky.

"You're a runaway. Listen, if you ever want to talk about it, find me."

"Right. I'll be sure to pilot that into my palm."

He chuckled. "Need a pen?"

They stopped when they reached the second-largest tent. "No. What's this? No more animals, right?"

"Nah, I figured you'd want something to eat." He looked surprised. Raven held a puzzled expression on her face until she looked up and saw a big sign over the flaps of the tent.

"Cafeteria. Right. Duh, Raven." She wanted to smack herself, but that would probably make Changeling laugh harder. She wriley watched him throw his head back and let out a hoot. Still grinning, he tilted his head forward and opened his eyes. He quickly lifted an eyebrow at Raven's horrified expression.

"What? What's wrong?" He looked behind him to see what she was staring at.

"Nothing! I mean, everything!" she nearly screeched. "I mean, I had plans…and I'm late."

"I thought me and the boss were the only ones you'd met. He hated you. Who exactly do you have plans with at a strange circus?"

"This guy named Cyborg said he'd help me get a job." Her eyes pleaded with him.

"Oh. Cyborg. Him." Changeling said darkly. Raven tilted her head in question.

"Ooh, that wasn't a pleasant tone." She repeated his earlier words dryly.

He smirked, "so she does have a sense of humor!"

"What's so bad about Cyborg? I liked him." Why exactly did she feel like defending him?

"That hunk of metal owes me twenty bucks." He glared somewhere beyond her left shoulder, and suddenly started grinning. "Speak of the devil! There's the Tin Man himself! Dorothy, your…companion." He gestured behind her.

"Hey there little lady. So I see what kept you late. Change's got a knack for not being on time." Cyborg came next to her and smirked.

A black-haired boy approached the small group. He was wearing sweatpants and a ratty old t-shirt, and was sweating. Through his dark shades Raven got the errie feeling that he was watching her every move, even though he smiled genially at the other boys.

Changeling's face lit up and he introduced Raven to the boy. "Grays, this is Raven. She wants to get a job, but she already pissed off Baldy, so…"

"The chances are very slim. Greeny here also forgot to mention that I'm both an Edgar Allen Poe and runaway cliché." She stuck her hand out. He chuckled and took it. His hands were rough, but strangely nimble. She quickly let go, and she felt as if it was blatently obvious what she'd thought. Or at least that's what his grin suggested.

"Well, I'm Richard Grayson, and it's a pleasure to meet you, Cliché. Now that you've met civilized company, do you want to get something to eat?" He nodded to the tent opening.

"Hey!"

"Not cool, I'm civilized!" The boys cried at the same time.

Richard laughed and Cyborg patted his stomache. "Screw civility. I'm so hungry I could eat a cow."

Before she knew it, Raven was sitting at one of the large middle tables, plates of food surrounding her. They all seemed to consist of either salads or sandwiches. Richard sat across from her, Changeling to her left, and Cyborg to her right. As Cyborg got up for seconds, a musical voice called out to Richard. For the first time since she'd met him he looked flustered, but only for a few seconds. He smiled and hopped up, rushing across the room to a very tall, very beautiful red-headed girl.

Before she could spy any longer a deep voice and hot breath spoke directly into her ear, sending shivers up and down her back.

"I hope 'Greeny' isn't my nickname now?"

She collected her thoughts and tried to tame her blush as she answered him. "Just as long as Richard's nickname for me isn't 'Cliché.'"

"Or 'Poe.'"

She smiled. "Or 'runaway.'"

"Are we still talking about Richard, here?" His hand crept down the bench and found hers. "Please say no."

Oh no. He was getting _way_ too close for comfort. She slid her hand out of his grasp and tried to gracefully lean away from him.

Thankfully Cyborg returned, his plate laden with at least three more sandwiches.

Her eyes widened. "Are you really going to eat _all_ of that?"

"What, Cyborg? He's a food _machine_." Changeling easily said, apparantly not affected by Raven's rejection.

At Cyborg's playful glare, Changeling added, "No pun intended."

"Sure, man, sure." He shook his head in good humor, and shoveled half a sandwich into his mouth.

"You still owe me twenty bucks. I get to make all the puns I want."

Cyborg stuttered and nearly choked. "_Twenty_?! I thought I only owed you five! And that was nearly a year ago!"

Changeling tapped his finger to his head. "It's called collecting interest, Bucket of Bolts."

Raven watched the exchange with a smile, finally increasing to a full chuckle when they started to flat-out insult each other.

As they broke into laughter, her smile faded. Where exactly was she going to stay tonight? She still needed a job, and so far she had only met a few people, taken a tour, and ticked off the one person she didn't need to tick off. It was time to get to business.

"Guys, I need a job. As in, now. _Before_ I have to sleep under a bridge."

They immediately sobered up and examined her.

"Done anything with a hammer or screwdriver?" Cyborg asked.

"No."

"What about with animals? Ever worked in a shelter?" Changeling questioned.

"No."

"Can you cook?"

"No."

"Clean?"

"I can learn…I think…"

After about five more questions it was determined that Raven was severely limited to the things she could do.

After five more it was decided that she was pretty much useless to civilization as a whole.

"Wow," Cyborg muttered, "I think this is a tough situation."

Changeling wouldn't give up, though. "What about talents? Can you do anything?"

Raven squirmed and averted her eyes. "No. I'm talentless too."

Changeling stared at her, and Raven fearfully thought he could see right through the lie. So she quickly stood up.

"Well, if I can't do anything, I'd better leave. I'm sure I could find work somewhere, but not here. Thank you both, and I'm sorry for wasting your time." She abruptly turned and strode out of the tent.

Halfway to the entrance, and bird flitted past her. It would've been normal, except the bird was green.

Raven couldn't get rid of the amazement at Changeling…well, changing.

He instantly transformed to his human self and stood directly in her path. His eyes narrowed at her and he talked to her seriously.

"This could work. You aren't leaving to sleep under a bridge or get mugged and raped. If I have to hide you in the stables and sneak you food I will. But you are _not_ getting past me." He smirked and folded his arms across his chest. "After all, you don't know that I can change into dinosaurs."

She looked to the ground and bit her lip. The emotions suddenly and embarrasingly rushed to her eyes in the form of tears. No one had ever…never…

She sighed.

"Why do you want to help me?" She asked, her voice mortifyingly timid and cracking.

He stepped towards her and gathered her in his arms. He tilted her chin up and forced her to look at him.

"Because I really think you could work. And not just the laboring way, either." He smiled.

She hastily stepped away and smiled. "Then teach me to work. The laboring way."

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**a/n:** Alright, here it is! The second chapter! I've just sent it to my beta, and added the authors note, 'cause the first time I posted it I had just wanted to see if it would post on my computer 'cause it usually doesn't and GUESS WHAT?!?!?

That's right.

THE SECOND NARNIA MOVIE REALLY IS COMING OUT MAY SIXTEENTH!!!

Oh, and IT POSTED IT!!

So…yay for fanfiction not being really stupid!

So yeah. Uhh…any questions, ask away!

And yes, the red-head was Starfire.

Be patient, padawans, be patient.

Feel the force and all that jazz.

NoRA


	3. Aimless

THANKS TO MAH WONDERFUL BETA, DYNOMITE

THANKS TO MAH WONDERFUL BETA, DYNOMITE!

I know it's short, but don't worry. I only stopped there for plot purposes. The next chapter will be out very, very, very soon. Also, I'm changing the title of this to Sad Clown, congrats to those of you who gave Jars of Clay-centered suggestions!

Now enjoy the chapter!

**Chapter 3: Aimless **

She hated crowds.

She loved crowds.

It depended on what kind of crowd she was in.

If the people were looking at her, she hated the crowds. If she was walking home or trying to forget who she was, she loved crowds. The pull and push of the people, like waves, sent her aimless feet to corners, sidewalks, and shops. She could walk with the crowd, and let _them_ dictate where she went. For once.

But this was a crowd of a different color.

Literally. Changeling's vibrant skin caught the sun, and her pale arm brushed his. This had him smirking, and then he took her hand in his. She fought him, but at his steady, strong hold, she gave up. Not wanting to let it get to her in _that_ way, she grabbed Cyborg's hand on her left, and swung them backwards and forwards, so that both boys could see that they were all linked through her.

"What, are we off to see the wizard?" Changeling asked sarcastically.

"Precisely." Raven wouldn't humor him, and she didn't like the tone he used.

"As much as I like shiny shoes, I'm afraid this Tin Man has to go help the techies. It looks as if they screwed with the black lights again, when they _weren't supposed to_!" Cyborg yelled the last bit as he broke away and raced towards the lights, which were hanging from the tent's skeleton like ornaments, some even twisting into each other.

"Ooh...that doesn't look pleasant." Changeling winced.

"Changeling, what am I gonna do?" The question had been on her mind for the past ten minutes as they'd all walked around the circus grounds.

"Well, you're going to listen to a playlist I made for you, and then you'll eat dinner, and then you'll sneak into my tent and go to sleep. In the morning we'll both go to Cald and see what happens." He said matter-of-factly, as if this was the only answer.

"What?!"

"Or we could do all of that and go to Cald, prepared with explaining your talent." His luminous green eyes caught hers, and they stared at each other.

"I don't have a talent," she ground out, angry that he could tell she was lying.

"Come here." He walked away, towards the small tent near the animal cages. She looked around for someone else to go to, but found no one save Cyborg, who was currently hanging from a beam and untangling black lights while yelling at the frightened-looking techies down below. She gave an exasperated sigh and caught up with Changeling.

He led her into the tent and closed the flap. Inside was a cot, a few trunks, and a small table. He gestured for her to sit on the bed while he remained standing. She avoided his eyes, but that got harder and harder to do when he was so blatantly staring at her.

"Quit lying to me Raven. You can do something, can't you? It's not stupid or small, either, is it?"

"I can't do anything."

"Liar."

Angry, she glared at him. "Quit calling me that! I'm useless, okay?" Her breathing grew heavy, and her hair started to crackle. Changeling, taking it all in, just stood there. With flushed cheeks and angry eyes, Raven tried to calm herself.

When her breaths grew quiet and her hair stayed limp, she dared to look at Changeling.

He studied her. But that wasn't what made her do what she did next. It was his silence that took her doubts in a handful and confirmed them all.


	4. Wondering

Once again, she was back in the crowds

I DO NOT OWN TEEN TITANS…though I wished I did…

THANKS AGAIN TO MY WONDERFUL BETA!! YOU ROCK!!

Now, here is chapter four…

**Chapter 4: Wondering**

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Once again, she was back in the crowds. In the heart of the city she floated along the people, knowing that at any moment one of her father's "associates" could catch sight of her.

But she didn't care.

If she had to work at a diner all her life, she would. If she had to leave this city and go to another, she would. She tried to get out of her element, and look what happened--she made a fool of herself to a boy in a circus.

A circus, for crying out loud!

Hot, angry tears streamed down her cheeks. She was alone; she was foolish; she was trapped. In her heart, she was trapped.

With a start, she realized that she was standing in front of her home. Well, one of them. This one was her father's way of saying, _"Here, stay away from me and your mother, we don't want you around."_

It was given to her two years ago.

As she entered—wiping away her tears—the doorman smiled at her. "We haven't seen you for a while. Welcome back." She politely returned the smile and stiffly entered the elevator. Raven entered her apartment and the tears came cascading down once again.

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Two days later her house phone rang. "Hello?"

"Miss Roth, we have delivery for you," the desk clerk stated, "Shall we send it up now?"

"What is it?"

"A bouquet of flowers." Raven paused. Who would send her flowers?

"Oh...okay, yes. Send it up, please." It couldn't hurt to receive mysterious flowers, could it? The delivery boy handed her the bouquet, then scrambled out of there. It was a tiny arrangement; a dozen red roses and baby's breath, but it was pretty none the less.

She put it on her table and went back to her meditation pad. Taking a deep breath, she pushed her fingers together as hard as she could. Her eyes scrunched shut, and her lips tightened. Seconds later she was levitating.

Her mind widened, and she felt everything in the room, it's energy, it's heat, life...things that inanimate objects shouldn't give off.

Wait.

No, that wasn't the room itself...that was something _in_ the room. She focused, squeezing her eyes even tighter. Her energy flickered, and the last thing she saw before she lost her concentration was the flower vase.

Slamming down, she broke her position and lay sprawled on the floor. But Raven wasn't stupid. Something was giving off a very powerful energy flow, and it couldn't have been the flowers. Cautiously she crept towards the table. And that's when she saw the fuzzy green caterpillar.

"Changeling?" Raven furrowed her brow.

The caterpillar innocently crawled up the leaf before transforming into a butterfly. The emerald butterfly flitted up in front of Raven, and then changed into a grinning Changeling. "Don't be mad, Rae. I had to come see you. You wouldn't believe how much flying I did to find you. And what do I see yesterday but you, buying fruit at a stand. And then I see you waltzing into this apartment complex as if you owned it...and after a bit of research, I find out that you do!"

"My father does." Raven glared at the green teen. Who did he think he was, following her around and then sneaking into her apartment?! She could've been dressing or something! "And I'll be mad if I want to. Who do you think you are? You can't just follow people around and expect to be welcomed with open arms! I could have been changing!"

"Oh, Rae, we're past that now. You've seen me change tons of times." He smirked.

"That's different. Quit calling me Rae. My name is Raven."

"Raven Roth, of all things."

"Yes. Raven Roth, of all things. Spend two days in my shoes and you'd want to live in a run-down circus the rest of your life too." He scoffed, and something in his eyes was hard.

"Oh, yeah, I'd just hate to live in my own apartment and get money from Daddy, and be pampered. '_Would you like your flowers sent up now or do you want to wait for your masseuse to bring them?'_" He mocked the doorman's raspy voice.

"It's not like that! You don't know where he gets that money. I only take enough to live."

"Oh, what, he gets the money from showing off his abilities too?" Raven froze. He'd seen her levitate. For the millionth time that week, her usually dry eyes filled with tears.

"He doesn't have abilities. I'm the freak. _I'm_ the freak of the family, okay?!" Changeling's brow furrowed, and he frowned.

"You aren't a freak, Rae."

"Oh, what would you know? You sneak into my apartment then act like a jerk, and now you're trying to placate me? Just stop it and go away!" She smacked his arm again and again, trying to push him towards the door.

"Okay, I'm sorry. _Raven_." He turned and held her arms down by her sides. "I'm sorry. I just don't get why you aren't living it up here, why you want to join Cald's Circus, of all places." He gently let go of her arms and caressed her face. "Don't cry." Her heart started to beat fast as he leaned down...

And then she turned away.

"You wouldn't get it. Not even if I told you. Now leave."

"Rae."

"Raven," she icily corrected. With a longing look he turned towards the door. As he shut it, he threw behind his shoulder his parting words.

"I got you a job. We'll be here for two weeks."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXX**X**XXXXXXXXXXXXX

That night she tossed and turned, thrashing her sheets around with her legs. Finally, although she was tired, she got out of bed, got dressed, and locked up her apartment.

She walked the cold streets, aware that she might be in danger, but willing it away from her mind. She didn't know how much time passed before she found herself gazing at the circus grounds. She found his tent, and crept through the shadows to let herself in.

The night owls wouldn't catch sight of her, she knew. He was awake, sitting up in his bed and writing in a notebook. He looked up, alarmed, when his tent flap opened, but then grinned when he saw her. She shrugged her shoulders.

"I couldn't sleep."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXX**X**XXXXXXXXXXXXX

The next day shone bright and much too early for Raven. She pushed the sheets back and sat up on the cot. Changeling whistled outside of the tent. She wearily let him come in.

"Sleep well?" he asked as he handed her a coffee. She nodded.

"You?"

"Well, it wouldn't have been comfortable in human form, but as squirrel, the tree was good to me. At least for the first hour or two. I didn't want you to be alone, so I fell asleep outside the tent as a dog."

"Oh..." Raven should have known he'd do something sweet like that. "Thanks."

"So," Changeling grinned, "You ready to clean those porta-potties?"


End file.
